This Side of the Pond
by Ladycrafter
Summary: Growing frequency of anomalies worldwide forces the US to send a Navy SEAL to their more experienced British allies to see how they deal with the problem. Expect humour and some action. Tongue in cheek cliches. First drafts, generally written at 3am. I may finish it one day.
1. Chapter 1  Introductions

**Author notes: I miss Primeval and so... I know Delta Force would have been more logical but I like white uniforms. This story is set towards the end of 2010 before the uniform changes came into effect. This chapter has been tidied it up just a little since I first posted it so hopefully, it's a little smoother read.**

** Usual disclaimer**

Chapter 1 – Introductions

Jess was alone at her station running a routine diagnostic check of the systems. The Anomaly Detection Device or ADD, as it was called, took centrepiece in the middle of the cavernous room. A slim fingernail tapped a nervous tattoo on the table in front of her as she scrolled through page after page of readouts. Her smooth brow furrowed slightly as she noticed something odd when she heard Lester call out from outside his office, "Jess, get Becker in here, will you?" The dapper civil servant stood at his open door, dressed as usual in a conservative suit of Italian make.

"Will do," she replied, turning slightly in her chair and catching a glimpse of her boss ushering someone into his office. Curiosity made Jess crane her neck for a better look. Despite the large glass windows of James Lester's private office, she saw little more than some sort of military uniform as the much of the man was obstructed by James Lester standing in front of him.

"Now, Jess," Lester's voice suddenly barked from the intercom surprising her.

She jumped guiltily and swung her chair round quickly, a little embarrassed that her boss had caught her being nosy. A quick check to see that the man himself wasn't lurking unseen in some dark recess as seemed to be his norm these days, Jess activated the comm and leaned toward the microphone calling the soldier's name, "Becker?"

"Yes, what is it?" the soldier answered crisply.

As usual, her heart fluttered slightly at the sound of his voice, "Umm, Lester wants to see you in his office right away".

"On my way," came his terse reply.

Jess sighed. _No hello, Jess_ _or anything today_. She knew him well enough to know he had a bee up his bonnet about something. She turned back to the ADD to deal with the problem that had surfaced before she was interrupted by Lester. The young woman tapped a fingernail on the console in front of her, her mouth pursing unhappily. It looked like some hardware maintenance was in order. There was no other option - she had to fix it. Somewhat disgruntled, Jess got to her feet and left to retrieve a toolbox.

After she left, Becker stalked into the hub from the opposite side. He was feeling annoyed. The security head had a good idea as to why he'd been summoned and he didn't like it. He'd been in a foul mood for a few days now, ever since he received word that an observer would be visiting the ARC. People were starting to duck into corridors just to avoid him when they saw him coming. _ One more person for security to babysit, he thought blackly. Damn Matt for being away today. This meet and greet thing was Matt's job, not his_. He rapped sharply on Lester's door.

"Come in," came the response.

Becker stepped into Lester's office, quietly closing the door behind him, "You wanted to see me, sir?" He stood ramrod straight, hands clasped behind his back, his annoyance evident to anyone who cared.

"Ah, yes," Lester looked up from a pile of papers on his desk and languidly waved a hand to his right. "Our American observer has arrived." He tapped the sheaf of papers in his hands on the table, "Everything seems to be in order, lieutenant."

Becker glanced out of the corner of his eye at the visitor and saw a man about his age in an American naval uniform.

Lester performed the introductions. "Lieutenant Beckett," he said. This is Captain Becker, our Head of Security. As Matt Anderson, our team leader is away today, Captain Becker will be showing you around the ARC and introducing you to the other core team members." He leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and observed the two men. Lester had been somewhat amused at Becker's dour expression when he'd arrived and had guessed correctly as to the reasons for the man's annoyance.

Becker scrutinised the lieutenant who returned his appraisal frankly. The head of security took note of a small gold pin on the other officer's collar and narrowed his eyes. Immediately, he schooled his expression into a neutral one. After further study, somewhat satisfied at what they saw, the two men each gave the other a grudging nod of professional acknowledgement.

Lester continued, "Lieutenant Beckett has been tasked with seeing how we do things on our side of the pond. He'll be here for a few weeks as part of your team. Take care of him, that's a good chap." Losing interest, the dapper civil servant turned back to the paperwork on his desk, effectively dismissing them.

Becker gestured towards the door and the other man followed him through onto the main floor. He said, "I suppose I had better first introduce you to our field coordinator. She'll issue you with a security bracelet so you can access the secure areas. They proceeded to the large electronic array."

However, Jess did not seem to be sitting as usual in her chair in the centre of the hub. As the two men got nearer, they found a pair of long, very shapely legs extended from beneath the ADD station. The upper half of the field coordinator was shielded by the equipment. An open toolbox lay on the floor close by.

The two men gazed down appreciatively at the view. Recollecting himself, Becker knelt down and called out cautiously, "Jess?"

A muffled thump sounded was followed by an small sound of pain. Jess quickly scrambled out from underneath her desk rubbing her head. Becker extended a hand and pulled her to her feet. The petite brunette stood, swaying slightly on a pair of ridiculously high, green heels. Keeping her head down, she quickly smoothed down the front of her short, bright green skirt over her thighs. An orange top with matching cardigan completed her ensemble. Jess sounded a little annoyed and a bit breathless as she mutterd, "You startled me."

At Becker's contrite apology, Jess finally looked up and her eyes widened.

Standing behind the Captain was a devastatingly handsome man in a naval uniform. Next to Becker's stark, habitual blacks, this man was blinding in his service dress whites. His broad chest was covered with ribbons. He stood at ease, his cover tucked neatly away under his arm.

"This is Ms Parker, our field coordinator," started Becker. "Jess, this is Lt. Beckett, the American observer we were expecting."

Jess blinked and gazed up into baby blue eyes that looked out of a face with movie star appeal. Her breath caught. _"Oh, my God, it's Ben Affleck,_ she thought as a wayward lock of honey blond hair started to threaten the man's perfectly groomed hair. Becker saw her staring and his mouth tightened.

The good looking naval officer scanned the pretty girl from head to toe before giving her a slow, lazy and utterly sexy smile. "Well, hello beautiful," he drawled holding out his hand. He smiled widely, showing off even, white teeth. "Pleasure indeed. My name's Tom Beckett." Jess blushed at the warm approval she saw in the lieutenant's eyes and felt her knees wobble a little. She tugged at the hem of her short skirt nervously. Next to him, Becker was very still but his eyes said looked like he wanted to kill something or perhaps, someone.

She shook his proffered hand. "Umm, hello. I'm Jess," she stammered, a little disconcerted by the man's attractiveness. The tall officer held her hand a little longer than was strictly proper before letting it go. Jess compared the two men standing before her and noted abstractly that they were exactly the same height with a roughly similar build. Heck, even their names sounded the same. Two gorgeous men in the same room as her, one darkly handsome and the other radiating sunshine. _Oh, my._ Jess gulped as errant thoughts threatened her composure further. Jess flushed red and stole a quick peek at the silent Becker. She caught him glowering and she felt a glimmer of hope. She frowned as another thought struck home, "You're the observer? But you're navy. Not meaning to insult you but wouldn't army have been a better choice? Not many anomalies in the ocean, you see." Jess rambled on, "We've only had two or three. In the ocean, I mean. The majority have been on land." Her voice trailed off.

Beckett shook his head and smiled, "I'm not regular navy. I'm a SEAL." As if that explained everything. Becker snorted softly - he'd heard about SEALs and their egos.

"Whoa," a loud laugh interrupted them as Connor came rushing up with Abby close behind him. His eyes gleamed brightly, "Who called the Navy?" Connor ploughed through without waiting for a reply, "Those are seriously cool threads, mate." He squinted at the tall officer, "You certainly don't look like a cute, cuddly aquatic mammal."

No, the blond lieutenant certainly did not. The two girls gazed speculatively at the tall officer with his wide shoulders, trim waist and muscular legs and exchanged an amused look, the corners of their mouths twitching. Becker's face got darker.

The American continued, "I'm a SEAL. Special Ops. We specialise in sea, air and land operations."

Before he could elaborate any further, Connor interrupted again, "Special ops? You mean like the SAS? Becker's SAS." He waggled a thumb in Becker's direction where the soldier stood stoically.

Beckett threw the captain an interested glance before replying, "No, strictly speaking, SEALs are more like the SBS. The SAS counterpart would be Delta Force."

"Black ops, Call of Duty … great games." Connor alluded to his favourite pasttime. He shrugged and grinned. "Doesn't tell me why you here though and sounding like a Yank."

Becker's voice cut through, "Didn't you read your memo, Connor?" At the scientist's look of confusion, the captain sighed and shook his head in disgust, "Didn't think so."

"What memo?" Connor looked around for clarification.

Abby took pity on him. "The memo that we all got last week from Lester saying that the Americans were sending an observer over to see how we do things here at the ARC. Anomalies are becoming more frequent in the US and around the world and we have more experience in this sort of thing than they do."

"Oh." A sheepish look came over Connor's face. "I've been busy in my lab. Got no time to read memos," he said defensively.

"Oh," Abby crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "If you stuck your head out of the door once in a while, you'd know what was going on."

The couple continued their bickering as the rest looked on amusedly.

"Are they always like that?" whispered Lt Beckett to Jess.

"Pretty much," she replied.

**Author: Reviews, please.**


	2. Chapter 2 Deja Vu

**Author's Notes:**** Minor changes to storyflow since original posting. **

Xxx

Chapter 2 - Déjà vu

"Lieutenant Beckett, meet Abby Maitland and Connor Temple," said Becker dryly. "You'll meet the other two tomorrow. Let's go meet my men." Without another word, the two men walked off in the direction of the armoury.

Jess let out a small breath she hadn't realised she was holding and said, "Wow".

Abby turned from squabbling with Connor and smiled at her, "Yeh, kind of gives Becker a run for his money, doesn't he?"

"What are you girls on about?" asked Connor suspiciously.

The girls broke out laughing,"Nothing," they chorused.

"You think he's cool, don't you?" he accused the two women who wisely remained silent. He protested, "But Abby, what about me! I'm cool, yeah?"

"Come on, Connor," said Abby grinning. "Let's go get some tea. She headed off to the tea room Connor trailing behind, whining "You think I'm cool, yeah? And hot?"

Abby laughed in reply, "Doesn't that just make you lukewarm?". Their voices faded down the corridor. Jess chuckled and returned to sort out her beloved ADD.

Xxx

It was quiet the next morning. There were no disturbances. No incursions. No alarms. Nothing. Jess was bored. She debated with herself whether or not she should summon Beckett to the hub to issue him his security bracelet. She sat at her desk twirling it around her fingers. The lieutenant hadn't returned to the hub after he disappeared with Becker the evening before. Jess was fairly certain Becker had mentioned before he left the night before that a tour of the Armoury was on the agenda for this morning. Perhaps, she should go down to the Armoury herself. Beckett was well, interesting. It wasn't as if Becker was going to make a move any time soon, despite all the encouragement she'd thrown at him. Truth be told, she was slightly irate at the handsome captain.

Frowning, Jess placed the bracelet on her desk. _The man blew hot and cold_, she thought crossly. Sometimes, when relaxed he could be very sweet and they would chat for simply ages while working at their respective stations in the hub, mostly about inconsquential things. She treasured those moments. However, he'd then get all uncomfortable, turning reserved and unapproachable. Beckett could be fun. She hadn't had any fun for simply ages and the american would only be in town for a few weeks. At the thought, irrational guilt stabbed at her. Inexplicably irritated with herself, she resolved not to waste any more time thinking about either men. However, she was still bored. _After all, it was rather quiet at the moment. She did have a valid excuse. It wasn't as if she was chasing after the two of them. That would just be, well, pathetic, she thought._ Making up her mind, Jess grabbed the bracelet off her desk and headed towards the Armoury.

Xxx

Jess skidded to a stop at the entrance to Becker's sanctum. She looked in and saw the two men deep in discussion over a table strewn with weapons. The young woman considered whether or not to interrupt what seemed to be turning into a lively debate. Neither men seemed to notice her presence.

Becker turned away and strode over to a smaller table across the room. He reached out and picked up a small EMD. He explained, "These EMDs or Electro-muscular disrupters were developed by our team leader, Matt Anderson. They are standard issue in the field."

Beckett leaned back against the table and folded his arms. He snorted, "I know you Brits don't like guns but aren't tasers going a little too far? If some of these prehistoric creatures are as dangerous as you say they are, won't something with a little more bite be more suitable? Like say, a M4A1?" He paused.

Jess could help but notice Beckett looked different this morning. He wasn't wearing his uniform for one. The man was dressed casually in loose BDU type pants that looked military enough but surely that tight t-shirt wasn't regulation. It did, however, show his muscles off to admiration. His honey blond hair looked like all he had done was rake his hands through it when he got out of bed this morning. He looked sexy as hell. Becker was his usual immaculate self, clad in his smart black uniform, looking the consummate professional British soldier. Her mouth nearly watered at seeing the two males in front of her. _Jess scolded herself mentally. She really needed to get out more__._

The SEAL operator gave a disbelieving shake of his head before continuing incredulously, "Running around with toy guns. Ha!"

Becker's eyes glinted. Jess felt a peculiar sense of deja-vu. "Becker, don't you dare!" she exclaimed with alarm. Neither man heard her.

Bennett threw his head up and laughed," I thought you SAS types were tough. Well, not as tough as SEALs obviously but ..."

Becker shot him.

The lieutenant fell like a stone. As he lay groaning on the floor, mouthing expletives, Becker couldn't stop himself grinning. Now he understood why Matt had been so pleased with himself that time. It really was quite satisfying. Belatedly, he became aware of Jess' presence at the door. Discomfited at having her witness the incident, he turned to her and asked gruffly, "Why are you here?"

Jess stepped forward. "I have his security bracelet." She scowled at Becker. "Was that really necessary? It's just so childish. Just because Matt shot you to demonstrate the EMDs effectiveness doesn't mean you get to shoot every newbie that arrives," she scolded.

Becker spread his hands wide. "Hey, I don't shoot everyone," he protested weakly.

Behind them, the lieutenant staggered to his feet. "I feel like hell. Why did you shoot me for?" he asked plaintively.

Becker turned around. "You needed convincing and I didn't have time to muck around. It was the fastest, most efficient way of demonstrating the EMDs effectiveness," he said smugly.

"I'm convinced. How long do the effects last?" gasped Beckett, bending over with his hands on his knees.

"Oh, two or three weeks," interjected an Irish voice. Matt was leaning casually against the door jam. "The humiliation takes a little longer." He frowned, "I seem to recall having had this particular conversation before." He shot a look at the innocent looking Becker.

The captain pretended to ignore him. He looked at Beckett and said, "I shot you with the smallest weapon in the EMD arsenal on the lowest setting. The largest one has been reconfigured to take down a creature even as large as a _Giganotosaurus_."

"Sorry I doubted you." Beckett held up a hand in surrender. "Remind me never to get you mad". He looked up and saw Matt. "Hi, I'm Beckett..." he trailed off questioningly.

Just then, the anomaly alarm went off.

"Sorry mate, but introductions will have to wait," said Matt before running off with Jess hot on his heels.

Becker turned to the stricken man. He frowned. "We've got to go. There's been an alert. Can you keep up?" he asked.

Beckett nodded, wincing as he did so. "Yeah. I've had worse," replied the SEAL. "Just don't do anymore f..ing demos on me, ok?" He straightened up and took a deep breath. "Lead the way."

Becker quickly grabbed his tactical vest and some weapons before disappearing out the door. Beckett hesitated only a fraction before doing the same, racing out behind the ARC's head of security.

**Next: The team finds out Beckett's nickname and there's hopefully a****little action. What shall the team go up against? Cute and cuddly? Or lots of teeth? I do need at some point for Becker and Beckett to be cut off from the rest of the team or trapped even.**


	3. Chapter 3 What's in a name?

**Author's Notes: Bennett reveals his nickname. Maybe some action to come? Again a one or two minor word changes since original posting to improve readibility. **

**Usual disclaimer.**

Xxxxx

After getting the coordinates and their black boxes from Jess, the team hurried down to the underground car park. On arrival, they found Becker's soldiers already there, gear packed and ready to head out. Becker moved to brief them. When he returned, Becker found to his dismay that Matt and Emily had already driven off. Connor and Abby were in the process of climbing into the back of _HIS_truck. He closed his eyes. He reopened them a moment later when he heard Beckett ask, "Ready to rock and roll, dude?" _Rock and roll? Was this man for real? _ Becker grit his teeth and climbed into the driver's seat. He hoped he was going to survive what promised to be a long journey.

In the back seat, Connor was bouncing like rubber ball. He was fairly bursting at the seams with curiosity. The questions started even before they cleared the car park. Connor scooted closer to Beckett to ask, "You know about what we do here - the anomalies and the prehistoric creatures and stuff?"

"I read the file. It was pretty thick," replied the lieutenant laconically.

"I take it you Americans are going to establish an ARC of some sort? That is if you haven't already?"

"Yes. However, It's going to be a purely military operation back home. SEALs, most likely. No civilians." A flat statement of fact.

Becker couldn't help but approve. He glanced at his rearview mirror. Abby didn't look impressed at the news.

"Why SEALs?" asked Temple.

"Well, we're equally at home in water or any kind of terrain we get inserted in. If your experience is any indication, anomalies can crop up anywhere. We can get in, deal with whatever needs to be done and get out without anyone the wiser," said Beckett. "I was sent here to observe how you deal with this shit and see if there anything useful we can use."

Abby was curious. "Why you in particular?"

"Other than because I'm good looking, charming, diplomatic and intelligent to boot making me an ideal choice for furthering bilateral relations?" deadpanned Beckett.

Connor guffawed. Abby shook her head amused despite herself. "You forgot to add funny as well," she said.

"I'm also good with technical stuff," Beckett said modestly. "My job here is not only to determine security implications and operational parameters. It's also to assess containment measures and your technological developments before making appropriate recommendations. I'll be spending as much time in the ARC as on the field."

Becker brightened. There wasn't much 'security stuff' he needed to show anyway. The SEAL was probably as good as he was in that area. If Beckett was that interested in technology, he'd be spending a lot of time with Temple. They'd both be out of his hair. Then, he realised that this meant the lieutenant would also be interested in the ADD too which meant the man would be spending a considerable amount of time with Jess as well. His mood soured immediately.

Connor continued his rapid fire questioning. "How long are you here for then?" he asked.

"A few weeks, may be less. Depends on how quickly I can get a handle on this. There's only so much a report can tell you. Some things I'm going to need to experience first hand, like an actual creature incursion."

Connor jumped to another line of questioning. "You're a lieutenant, eh? Does it mean you're going to have to 'sir' Becker seeing as how he's a captain and all?"

"No. Naval lieutenants are equal in rank to army captains."

Connor didn't know what do with this information. Yet. He filed it away to the back of his mind for later use. "So, what do you want us to call you?" he asked. He gestured to the man in the driver's seat. "We call him 'Action Man' or 'Soldier Boy'.

"I told you never to call me that," Becker said evenly.

Beckett's mouth twitched before replying,"Either Tom or Beckett."

Connor drew in a deep breath. "Come on, you're a SEAL!" he exclaimed. "I heard SEALs were badass. You must have a cool nickname."

The SEAL was amused. "You must watch too many movies. Not everyone has a nickname. They have to be earned."

"Can't believe you haven't got one." Connor sounded disappointed.

"Actually, I do," Beckett admitted.

Connor straightened up in his seat. Abby could have sworn his nose twitched. "Well, what is it!" he demanded.

"I told you. It's Tom."

There was moment of disbelief before Connor spluttered, "What sort of a nickname is that? That's just an ordinary name."

Beckett sighed, "When I was in BUD/s, training to be a SEAL, I was paired up with this little guy for my swim buddy. We didn't hit off at first. I admit I rode his butt a bit. He gave back as good as he got, though. Just a little friendly rivalry, you know?" He continued, "We're tight now. I mean, he's my best friend. Couldn't have a better one. Saved my ass more times than I like to remember." Tom paused, lost in thought.

"Where is he now?" asked Abby softly.

Beckett caught her concern and shook his head. "Nah. Nothing like that. He went wheels up with the rest of team and I was sent here."

"Wheels up?" queried Abby.

"On a mission," he clarified.

"Oh," she said understanding," and you wish you were with them, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." Beckett looked out the window. A tree flashed by.

Connor tried again. "You're gonna tell us your nickname or what?"

_Really, the geek was persistent. The man must have the patience of a saint_, thought Becker. He would have told Connor to shut it a long time ago.

Beckett didn't seem to mind Connor's questioning. In fact, he sounded like he was enjoying telling his story. "I'm getting to that," he said. "Turned out he was a genius at getting out of bad situations and turning the tables on the enemy. Myself, I'm considered better than most at sneaking in and out of places quietly. Catlike, the other guys in my class claimed. That's how they came up with my nickname."

Connor looked confused. Becker was intrigued despite himself.

"My bud's name…" offered Beckett. "it's Jerry."

Realisation dawned. Connor's face was almost comical. "You mean?" he chortled.

Beckett smiled ruefully. "Yeah, the other guys stuck me with '_Tom'_ to his Jerry. They nearly killed themselves laughing when they did. I didn't protest too much. Tom and Jerry may bicker a bit but they've got one of longest partnerships I know and despite all the tight spots they get into, neither gets seriously hurt. I took it as a good omen, you know?"

"I think it's sweet," squealed Jess over their earpieces. "I love Tom and Jerry! By the way, there are no CCTVs where you're going so Ican't tell you what to expect. Sorry."

_Great. Jess thought Beckett was sweet_, seethed Becker. His hands tightened on the wheel. The captain wished they'd stop talking.

Encouraged, Connor persevered, "What's your real name then?"

Beckett said steadily, "You don't need to know and I have no intention of telling you. You can call me either _'Tom'_or Beckett. Your choice."

"What's with this secrecy over first names with you guys?" complained Connor. "Becker won't tell us his either."

He went on, "It's not as if it's a secret involving national security, is it? Like, you'd have to kill me if you told me?"

Beckett swiveled his head and pinned Temple with a steely stare. He smiled wolfishly.

Next to him, Abby stifled a chuckle. Connor faltered and pressed himself back against his seat. "You don't think he's serious, do you?" he asked uncertainly.

Abby punched Connor in the arm and snickered. "You did ask for it. Still want to push it?" Connor shook his head and stayed mute.

_A speechless Connor, _Becker smirked to himself. He felt almost charitable towards Beckett. They travelled in silence the rest of the way.

Finally, the convoy pulled up to a large, rambling country manor. Matt got out of his truck and approached the rest of his team. He held out his hand to Bennett who shook it. "Sorry about before. I'm Matt Anderson. That's Emily Merchant over there," he said, inclining hishead towards where a confident looking brunette with rioting curls stood by his truck.

_Jess' disembodied voice sounded in their ears, "The anomaly's somewhere very close to you, in or near the house most likely. There are no cameras so I can't see anything."_

At Becker's signal, the soldiers separated to check the surrounding area. Matt, Beckett and he approached the house silently.

Becker looked in a window. He swore, loudly.

"What is it?" asked Emily coming up behind him.

"Therocephalians. The place is swarming with them."


	4. Chapter 4 First Blood

Chapter 4 – First Blood

**Author's notes: Some action at last. **

**Usual Disclaimer**

xxx

There was a dread silence.

One of Becker's soldiers came running up. "Area is secure, sir. No sign of any creatures or an anomaly." A second black clad soldier took position outside the door.

"It must be inside." Matt looked sideways at Becker. "We'll have to go in," he said evenly. Becker nodded tensely.

Meanwhile, Beckett looked through a window and commented, "Ugly bastards."

"Nasty creatures," agreed Matt. "Definitely a case of their bite being worse than their bark," he said wryly.

"Sound like you got up close and personal," remarked Tom.

"We've encountered them before."

_"Becker got bitten," choked Jess._

"Hey, I got better," protested Becker.

_"You nearly died," cried Jess. _

Matt affirmed, "Extremely venomous."

"So, we throw in a few grenades. Kaboom. Problem solved."

Everyone turned as one and stared at the navy SEAL in disbelief, except Becker who merely looked hopeful.

"Definitely not," said Abby hotly. "Firstly, We don't know what the ramification would be if we killed creatures from the past instead of sending them back to their time. Secondly, you can't just blow up someone's home." She said firmly, "We have to return them throughout the anomaly."

Connor chimed in,"Wings of a butterfly and all that..."

Beckett put his hand up to fend her off, "Relax. I was just joking."

"I don't think it was funny," said Emily primly.

"Well, what did you do last time?"

"I gassed them," said Temple proudly. "Mixed up a few chemicals. Worked a treat. They just keeled over. Saved Action Man here. Me!" _Becker rolled his eyes. Temple was never going to let him forget it either._ Then, Connor's open face fell, "Haven't got a lab with me here, though."

"There's eight of us this time. We should be able to neutralize the creatures," said Anderson thoughtfully. "I want you three," he indicated Connor, Abby and Emily, " to stay out here with Becker's man. Make sure the creatures stay contained within the house. I don't want any of them getting out. There may be some hiding in the woods already. We don't know." He jabbed a finger at Connor, "You get ready to lock the Anomaly as soon as I give the signal".

The men prepared to move in.

_"Becker, be careful," whispered Jess. She sounded close to tears._

Despite himself, Becker was touched by Jess' concern. "Don't worry, Jessica. I will," he said gently.

Connor was pumped up like an Energiser bunny. He was finally going to see a real live SEAL in action. Not just on a game screen.

The navy SEAL in question noticed Temple's avid expression. His eyes twinkled and he said,"Lock and load." He flashed a brilliant semi-manic grin and leapt through the front door.

_Lock and load_, thought Matt momentarily astonished. _Did Americans really say that sort of thing he wondered_. Then he too saw Connor's face. He gave an amused smirk and went in after Beckett, followed by the ARC's security chief.

Xxx

They entered a large entrance hall. It was empty. Matt and the second soldier split off to look for the anomaly. The remaining duo headed left to deal with the creatures.

"Tell me again, what are we up against?" whispered Beckett.

"They' re called Therocephalians. Late Permian. Mean buggers. Try not to let them bite you. " Becker informed him, looking down his scope with his finger curled lightly around his EMD's trigger. He wished wholeheartedly for a real gun. _He really missed his shotgun._

"Hope no one was in then."

That hope died when they entered the dining room It resembled a bloodbath. Creatures the size of extremely large dogs lay sprawled around overturned furniture. There were smears of blood everywhere. A child's bloody shoe lay on the polished wooden floor.

Tom swallowed. He tried not to let it affect him but truth be told, he never gotten used to seeing innocents being hurt or killed even though he'd seen a lot of it in Afghanisatan and Iraq. He hoped he never would. The SEAL operator turned to the security chief at his side and smiled grimly. He said, "Bet you I can take out more of them than you can."

Some of Tom's fey mood must have been rubbed off on Becker because he replied, "You're on."

The two men moved in, firing rapidly.

"One. two..." counted Tom as he released a couple of shots.

"What are the stakes?" yelled Becker as he fired again.

"First names."

Becker hesitated. "Okay," he agreed reluctantly before turning his attention back to staying alive.

Xxxx

Matt heard the muffled sounds of EMD guns. He ignored it. The two Special Forces officers would handle it. He had his own problems. He'd found the anomaly but quite a few of the creatures lay dozing between it and them. The team leader weighed his options.

Xxx

_There were just too many. Unknown to more of them had been more asleep in the room next door. They'd been attracted by the scent of fresh meat. Jesu.. He'd seriously underestimated these creatures. They were relentless. Take one out and more would took its place._ Beckett spun and shot one about to launch itself at him. However, another crept up behind him, unnoticed. It slammed into his leg and he went down. Tom struggled but the Therocephalian was too big and too heavy. _ Shit, he thought. This was it._ Beckett felt the creature jerk. It squealed and rolled off him. He looked up and British soldier yanked him to his feet.

Becker manhandled the winded man out of the room. The Therocephalians followed, intent on their prey.

Stalking, hunting...

Xxx

The two men hurried down a dark corridor. Beckett winced a little as his leg protested. They emerged in a large kitchen. There was an iron door at the other end. Becker wrenched it open. It led downwards. "Go, go!" he screamed. Becker shoved Tom through, loosed three shots at the creatures behind them and dived in. He pulled the heavy iron door close behind him. The Therocephalians massed behind it. They were trapped.

Xxx

**Next: Radio blackout as black box communications system fails. Who saves whom? In later chapters to come- a little Beckett/Jess/Becker and Connor doesn't know enough to let sleeping SEALs lie.**

PS If you like this story so far, post a review. I'll do a little first names fluff I think you might enjoy.


	5. Chapter 5  Trapped

Chapter 6 – Downtime

**Author's Notes**

**Usual Disclaimer**

Text

**Comments**


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